Railway-crossing alarm.



G. NEVILLE.

RAILWAY CROSSING ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8. 1912.

PatentedSept. 21, 1915.

l/Vl/EIVTOI? deotge Neville.

BY 4/364 M ATTORNEYS I yo AZ CDLUMBIA PLANOORAPH C0-,WASHINGTON. D. c

.rrinn smarts J'EPiASEENT W GEORG-E NEVILLE,- OF VANCOUVERyBRITISI-I COLUMBIA, -CANADA.

RAILWAY-CROSSING ALARM.

, Specification ofLettersBatent. r patented sept; 21; 1915.

Application filed November 8, 1912. VSeriaLNo, 730,178.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, GnoneuNnvrLLmcitizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Vancouver, in theProvince of British C- panied, in which:

lumbia, Canada, have invented a new and useful Railway-Crossing Alarm, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relatesto. an alarm for railway crossings. which isvde'signed to render such more safe,, by providing an "electrioally operated alarm bell which isautomatic'ally set in action by an approaching train while'the latter is at-a safe idistan'ce from it, and continues to ring for a sensible period of time afterthe vehicle or train has passed over the original closing contactFThisob 'ject is attained by providing an electrical circuit extending toward thejdireotion of approach which circuit is momentarily closed by the passage of a'vehicle ortr'ain overcontacts on the track. Inthis 'circuit is an electro-magnet wh1ch, whenenerg1 zed,

' acts to close the same circuit in a more en- "durmg manner andtat the same 1111116 connects the alarmjbell in the battery circuit.

The secondary closing contacts are coiiperative with a dash pot the slow fall of which by gravity determine the endurance of the alarm.

' The invention is particularly described in 1 the following specification, reference being contacts 18 are providedin one offthe rails '2, which contacts close .an electrical circuit 5 in which, adjacent to the crossingB, is a battery 6 and electro-magnet'7. "Thaarmature 8 of this electro-magnet 7 is secured on a lever 9 which is pivoted at 10 in the box 11 which holds the mechanism, and carries at its other end the plunger-'12 of a dash pot 13. This dash pot 13 is verticallymovable in a guiding cylinder 14 secured to' the base of box 11 and its upper-endis cham- I bered, as at 15, to form a receptacle for the oil displaced-{from the dash potvwhen the ,plunger is at the lower limit of its .movement.

Theldash pot 13 is free to move vertically either up or down in a guiding cylinder 14,

Qwhichfcylinderlt is secured toithe base gboard-offthe' box 11 and the upperendof the dash pot, 13 is ohamberedjasfat 1.5,. to form. a receptaclelfor the oil displaced from below the plunger 12 when that plunger is at the lower, limit ofits movementwi'th relation to thefldash pot 13. :The'dash pot body "13 s connected :in a shunt circuit 16 from vthe main clrcuit 5, the shunt being closed by a resilient contact 17 .when the dash pot body,13 engages it after the dashpot body has been lifted in its guiding, cylinder} 11 as ,shown in Fig 2. I In the normal position of the .parts the lever 9 rests in the dotted :position shown :in Fig. 1, or the full position shown m Fig. ,3, andjthe dash potalso re- ;mains in1 the position shown inEig. '3. :Thus, when a passing vehicle imomentarily closes the contacts 18 of the xmain circuit 5 at L the electro-magnet 7 is energized, and closes the same circuit ina more enduring mannerby means of the, shunt circuit 16 in which is thedash, pot 13 andresilientcon- ,taot' '17. This secondary closure 'endures while the-dash pot is fallingslowly off its plunger 12, which movement, isdelayed by the passage of the oil or otherffiuid from the chambering 15 to beneath the plunger.

' Thealarmbell 21 is in a supplementary ,shunt circuit 20 which connects the main circuit 5, inv which, is the batteryrand electro-magnet, through, a resilient contact 23 which is engaged by the lever9 at the upper part of' its movement, and throughthat lever. and'its fulcrum. By' this means, when the'main circuit is closed at, the contact 17,

the alarm bell circuit 20 isialso closediand remains closed until theldash pot falls and draws with it the lever. 9, off the contact 23.

Theclcsing contact 18015 the main circuit 5 at 4;}is, actuated, byfthe wheels :of a pass ing,train;'by a plunger 19Qfittinga .chamberedaperture drilled in the rail 2; and havinga spring, under its .head to ,hold ,it norm'ally above the. flush. of, the rail.

;' In use, when a lvehicle'passes at. 4: over; the plunger 19 or" the contacts. 18,;the circuit 5.is

l momentarily closedand the electro-magnet 7 which is in this circuit is energized, and its armature 8, is drawn \down to, thepoles of the magnet. Through the lever 9 to which the armature 8 is attached, the plun- Q which is the battery and electro-magnet, will 7 alarm bell 21 will ring, as its supplementary shunt circuit is closed by the lever 9 in engagement with the resilient contact 23.. The gravity fall of the dash pct 13 isdelayed while the oil or other fluid in the. chambering 15 of the dash pot passes back remain closed after the train has passed over the contact at 4, until the dash pot 13 falls slowly by gravity from engagement with the resilient contact 17 Whilethe lever 9;

is at the upper limit of its movementthe under the plunger, as shown inFig. 1.

. contact 17, the ielectro-magnetwill "be de "energizeda'ndthe dash pot plunger 12 will .36 f ll gradually to its normal position in the,

dash pot, as represented in Fig. 3.

Having now particularly described my' invention and the manner of its operation and use, I hereby declare that what I claim as newand desire to be protected inby Letters Patent, is:

v g 1. In a railway crossing alarm, anormally N open electric circult, a source of electrlc en-.

' ergy in said circuit, and a signal in a shunt to said circuit, an electro magnetic switching device in said circuit, operative upon the closing of said circuit for bringing said sig- I nal into operative condition and means for v delaying the opening of the circuit of the switching device after the circuit has been restored at its'normally open place, sald last named means including a dash pot, the piston of which is connected to said switching device, the cylinder of which is free to move with said switching device, and having limited movement under the influence of gravity, and means cooperative with said dash pot for closing said electric circuit.

2. In a railway crossing alarm, the combination with the railway track, of an electric circuit, a circuit closing contact in one of the rails of the track arranged to be closed upon the passage of a train overit, and said contact being connected 1n said electric circuit, a source of electric energy in said circuit and a signal in a shunt to said circuit, said circuit, an electro-magnetic switching device in said circuit operative upon the closing of said track contact for bringing said signal into operative condition, and means 7 for delaying the opening of thecircuit after said dash pot for closing said electric circuit.'

3. A railway crossing alarm,compris1ng thecombination with the track, of an electric circuit, and a source of electric energy in said circuit, a train operated circuit closer and a magnet also in said circuit, a contact .lever having an armature cooperating with said magnet, a signal, a signal circuitarranged as a shuntfrom the electro-magnet circuit and closable by said contact lever, a

*second shunt circuit to the main circuit, and The normal position of the dash pot and; its plunger is represented in Fig. 3 and when. the lever 9 is lifted from this position the. dash pot will be lifted with it, as shown in Fig. 2. From this position the dash pot will fall gradually to the position represented in 7 Fig.1, when the circuit being opened at the nal opening contact, said last named means lncluding a dash pot, one element of which is connected .to and movable with said lever and theother element. of said dash pot hav-' ing vertical movement under its own weight with relation to the first mentioned element of thedash pot, said second shunt circuit having one terminal connected to said vertically movable element of the dash'pot, and a fixed contact to which the other terminal of said second shunt circuit is connected,--=

said fixed contact adapted to be engaged by said second mentioned element of the dash pot when the same is elevated.

4. A railway crossing alarm, comprising the combination with a train operated cire;

cuit closing contact, an electroemagnet, a

source ofenergy, and an electric circuit including the aforesaid parts, of a signal, and

a signal operating switch device includinga lever having an armature port on cooperative with said electro magnet, operative connections between said lever and said signal, and means for delaying theopening of the magnet circuit after the. vehicle has passed over the circuit closer of the same, said means comprising adash pot, one element of which is connected andfmovable with said lever, the other element of which is free to move on said first mentioned element subject to. the retarding influence of;

the dash pot action, and a guide for said second element of said dash pot whereby 'when said magnets are energized to shift I to the first element of the dash pot under the influence of gravity in said dash pot guide, and a connecting shunt to said magnet circuit connected with said second ele-i ment of said dash pot and with a fixed con- L30 tact for effecting the delaying action, substantially as shown and for the purposes described.

5. In a railway crossing alarm, the combination with an electric circuit normally open at a predetermined place and adapted to be closed at such place, a source of elec tric energy in said circuit and a signal in a shunt to said circuit, an electro magnetic switch device including electro magnets in said circuit, a switch lever operated by said magnet said switch lever being in said shunt and a switch contact cooperative with said lever also in said shunt, and means for delaying the opening of the circuit through said electro magnet and said shunt after said electric circuit has been opened at the normally open place, said last named means comprising a dash pot the piston of which is connected to said lever, and the cylinder of which is free to move with said lever and piston and having limited movement under the influence of gravity, and an electrical connection between said circuit and said dash pot.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE NEVILLE.

Witnesses:

ROWLAND BRITTAIN, MAY WHYTE.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

